How to Catch a Fish (ManxMan)

Original Chapter Eighteen: Now or Never

~Chapter Eighteen: Now or Never~

"Who was your father talking about?" I ask as we leave the dining hall. While I do not look at Nero directly, I watch his face out of the corner of my eye, waiting for his expression to reveal something. However, he seems to have his emotions on lockdown, which does not bode well.

He just glances at me before leading us further into the castle, away from the walls to avoid any of the entrances. While his father mentioned the main entrance, I have no idea where that is and Nero likely does not want to take any chances on the information being wrong.

I wait for him to say something, but he continues to walk in silence, so I decide to try again, "Are you going to tell me who it is or should I just start guessing?"

"Once we're back in the room, I'll explain," he says, and something tells me that I will not be free to leave the room afterwards. If he immediately goes for the handcuffs, I will not be surprised.

"Are you in league with the witches?" I ask, keeping my tone neutral. Nero showed some pretty interesting emotions during my stories, up until the prison was mentioned and when his expression became guarded. At first, I just assumed he was trying to focus on comforting me, but now I am not so sure.

However, even if it is the witches here to talk politics, I have no intention of going after them in my current state. Unless it is just a lone witch – Leander mentioned 'guests', plural – I would not stand a chance in a fight against them. Before, I had my training on my side. But being almost two months out of practice and with very low magic levels due to last night, I would ultimately fail.

Nero looks unimpressed when he glances at me, which puts a halt to my paranoid thoughts. "I would have told you a long time ago if we were," he responds.

While his answer does not necessarily mean that the guests are not witches, it is a relief to know that the Mer, or at least, the Pacific Mer have not sided with my enemy. I am not entirely sure what I would have-

Atasah, a familiar voice calls out, the tone in my head questioning. Sidr.

I nearly stumble at how close the voice sounds, even if it is in my head. When he was further away, it sounded like he was calling from a distance, but now it sounds like he is only a few feet away. Of course, he is not actually a few feet away, but he has to be somewhere in the castle. Unexpected guests, huh?

Upon realizing that I was no longer following, Nero stops and glances back at me. When he fails to immediately read my expression, he eyes me warily, "What's wrong?"

"Were you really planning to tell me the truth?" I ask, not even bothering to pretend like I do not know. It is not like he is going to let me get near any of the entrances anyway, so what would be the point of trying to hide it?

At first, Nero does not seem to catch my meaning, but when he takes in my accusatory gaze and stiff posture, he tenses. Instead of speaking right away, he slowly sets the plates down on the floor, watching me the entire time, like he has managed to corner a very dangerous animal. Considering the situation, the comparison is pretty accurate.

"No. While I hate the thought of lying to you, knowing would only make you feel miserable because there is no way I will let you leave our room until they return topside," he answers, and while I am not fond of what he intended, I appreciate the honesty. It would have been a stupid idea, but he means well.

When Nero takes a step towards me, I immediately take a step back to keep the distance. "Don't," I warn him, not willing to get into a physical fight, especially after what happened last night. I already burned him once; I cannot do that again.